


Shades of Red

by Genie60



Series: Poldark Series 3-This and That [1]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: Dress Up, F/M, Marriage, Practical Demelza, Reconciliation, Ross goes shopping, S3 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 11:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9818186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genie60/pseuds/Genie60
Summary: The Red Dress--what happened to it after Demelza's disastrous attempt at revenge.





	

**Author's Note:**

> From a question posed on Tumblr about the red gown about whether we'd see it again in S3 because it was too beautiful to waste.  
> Just a little fluff.
> 
> The idea is mine but nothing else. Winston and Debbie own everything else. Including my soul.

Demelza’s fingers grazed over the deep crimson brocade and satin.  She had forgotten about this dress, stowing it in the chest in their room soon after she and Ross reconciled. The last time she had touched it was the day he came in to tell her they had found tin.  Demelza had tried to mend the damage it sustained after her escape from Werry house and walk on the beach the following morning, but gave up.  She thought that she would never wear it again but now they were invited into society and this was the closest thing she had to suitable finery for the occasion. Demelza didn’t expect to keep it and yet couldn’t bear to part with it.  For Demelza it as a remembrance of her one night of recklessness; a night of self loathing and self discovery that brought her back to Ross and left her scarred but no worse for wear. 

Pulling it out of the box, she held it up and examined it to see if it was still salvageable and saw that the most noticeable thing was the water stain at the hem.  Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest thing for her to walk barefoot in the sea but the unusually icy water shocked her into sensibility so that when Ross appeared she could tell him exactly what she felt. The memory of that conversation sent a new chill up her spine for the bitterness she demonstrated that morning was deep seeded and at the time seemed appropriate.

Looking back she wished she’d stopped and forced Ross to face what he’d done instead of letting him mull it over for weeks on end. Then maybe they wouldn’t have fallen so far down the precipice that it seemed almost impossible that they would pull themselves up and out of it again.   That was the darkest time of her life, perhaps as dark as the days after Julia’s death and Ross’s trial.  She remembered all that now as she laid the dress on the bed to take a closer look at the tears and pulls that were scattered haphazardly across the surface of the material.  Her eyes drifted to the bodice and a flash of Malcolm McNeil’s hands grasping her around her ribs came back as vivid as if he were there now.  She shivered and felt a wave of nausea as her mind remembered the smell and feel of the Scotsman and she had to sit down to take a breath. 

Those days were gone and now she and Ross were in the beginnings of a new chapter of their lives.  It was as if they were newly married, their love fresh and delicate, needing nurturing and care to thrive and grow.  So why was she so hesitant to part with a few yards of material?  Perhaps it was her practical side thinking she could remake it so that it would look different enough from the original to make it wearable.  She knew that was being overly optimistic as just the feel of it had her back in that blood red room, with its ornate and garish furnishings and decanter of burgundy port that had steeled her nerves that night.  At the time Demelza wondered if Margaret Vosper’s accommodations looked like this. She had to remember to ask Ross when she got the chance.  A small smile crossed her face as she pictured having a conversation with him about the woman most every male member of their circle had enjoyed. 

Demelza picked the dress up and held it to her body, trying to ascertain if it would even still fit.  She’d had another child since then and while her everyday dresses seemed to fit just fine, she wasn’t so sure this well designed bodice would be as forgiving.  She was about to slip out of her day dress to try this on when the door to the bedroom opened and Ross walked in with a package. 

“Demelza? What are you doing?”  He stepped down and into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Ross! I was just going to see if this still fit so I could remake it for that party,” she said as she continued to unfasten her corset. 

Ross watched for a few minutes before stepping forward and placing the box on the bed.   Walking towards his wife, he turned her to face him and stopped her hands from what they were doing.

“My love, I appreciate that you are still of the mindset that we need to watch our guineas, but I am now in a position to buy you something new to wear to this affair.” 

He tilted her chin up and kissed her forehead, his hands setting on her waist. She moved to kiss his lips and smiled up at him.

“I know Ross but I don’t see why a dress that is still fairly decent should be wasted.” 

Ross looked over his shoulder at the garment lying on the bed and saw Demelza in it, hair tousled, face streaked from crying, her body shaking from the cold.  And yet she looked beautiful.  He wished that he was with her at the ball to escort her in that dress and show her off as she deserved to be.  Instead he left her to her own devices which, as it turned out, she handled just fine. Thank goodness. The possibilities that could have happened made him sick and he shook that out of his head quickly.  It was the memory of that night, the reason it happened and everything in between that prompted Ross to buy Demelza something new.

He picked up the now offensive item and had a thought.

“If you’re so set on not wasting it, you could make curtains out of it.  There’s enough here for a few drapes, isn’t there?” 

Demelza looked at him and saw he was serious. He wanted her to take an expensive gown and turn it into window dressings.  He must be mad she thought.

“Ross you’re serious?”

“Most definitely. I believe they’ll look just fine in the new dining room.  Or old parlor.  Either way you’re not wearing this gown again is that understood?”

She was stunned at the severity of his tone but knew why he took it and part of her was pleased that the little germ of jealousy was still in him.  It was good to keep him on his toes, she thought.

“Then what do you propose I do wear, Ross?  I don’t have another dress that’s suitable.” 

He lifted the box and held it out to her.

“This,” he said.

Demelza walked to him slowly surprised that he thought to buy her something.

“How did you know what measuring to get the dressmaker?  I’m sure I’ve changed since the last time I wore a gown, Ross”. 

Her eyes were fixed on the box and her fingers slid over it, itching to untie the string.

“You’ve hardly changed at all.  I should know.  Open it Demelza,” Ross said.

She looked up at him and gingerly pulled at the tie, sliding it off and then lifted the top.

Unfolding the tissue she saw a deep green gown of the richest material.  Picking it up out of the box, she shook the skirt so that it would fall freely and held it away from her to take a better look. She could see that the neckline seemed lower than anything else she owned and she glanced at Ross.

“Are you sure this is decent, Ross?  It seems a little revealing.  My bosom will be barely covered.”  Demelza sounded genuinely worried that it would be improper.

“I’m sure you’ll look wonderful my love. I made sure that the dressmaker made it it in the most fashionable style. Plus I asked Caroline to help, knowing how you admire her taste.”

“You went to all this trouble for me?  For a dress?”  Emotions were bubbling to the surface but she held them in check.

“Why wouldn’t I?  You’re my wife and deserve a new gown. You deserve so much more besides but we will start with this.” 

He came and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her towards him for a kiss which she accepted and reciprocated.

“Ross, this is too much,” she said when they parted.

“Do you want to try it on?” he said with a smirk.  “I can help you if you want.”

“I think I can manage. It seems this one fastens in the front, so I should have no trouble getting it on. Or off,” she teased.

“I should have thought of that and asked for a special order,” he replied.

“You’re incorrigible!” she cried.

“Perhaps. But you’ll still have me,” Ross said.

She saw the love in his eyes even with the joking and nodded.

“Yes Ross, I’ll have you,” she murmured.

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

****~~~~****

Six months later, Ross and Demelza hosted their first party in the new dining room.  As usual, Demelza was nervous about making a good impression and not embarrassing herself and most especially, Ross. She looked around the room and saw that the table seemed fine; having remembered what Verity taught her years ago about how to set it with the proper china and silverware. It was the first time she was using the family dishes and she made sure that Betsy did not slam them down on the table as if they were their everyday earthenware.

Walking around the room, Demelza glanced at the windows and shook her head. She hated to admit Ross had been right about what to hang over them as the drapes worked perfectly with the new room.  She heard the door open and the voices of Ross and Caroline.  Letting out a breath at the arrival of a friend, Demelza walked to the hallway to greet them.

“Caroline!” Demelza cried as she gave the petite woman a hug.

“My dear.  You look wonderful.  I’m so anxious to see the revisions to the house.  Ross says you’ve been working hard getting ready for tonight.”

Giving her husband a look, including a raised eyebrown, Demelza watched as Caroline walked into the dining room and surveyed the interior.  She walked directly to the windows and touching the deep crimson brocade, turned to her hosts and said,” Where did you get such luxurious material?”

**Author's Note:**

> I know. I said no more ficlets but this one came unbidden.


End file.
